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AHSFHS Article Series

Amazing Seasons

Last year the Rattlers won more games than any previous team at Tanner, they
scored more points than any other team and reached the state championship
game for the first time. The 2012 version of this team was believed to be
even better than the one that lost to Elba 34-14 in the title game. Now all
they had to do was prove it on the football field.

The defense
returned three-year starters; Kyle Shoulders along the line, Dexter Douglas
and Fred Rich leading the linebackers and Greg Maclin roaming the secondary.
Rich carried the ball 127 times for 1,084 yards and scored 16 touchdowns
last year. Maclin caught 24 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns on a
run oriented team.

Madison Academy

0

0

0

7

7

Tanner

6

0

7

0

13

Tanner scored on
their first drive of the season when they went 80 yards in 16 plays to take
a 6-0 lead over powerful Madison Academy. The Class 2A Rattlers beat a very
good Class 3A team with great defense and a punishing running game. Tanner
scored again in the third period on a Hayden Stephens powered through the
defense for a 48-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 13-0.

Stephens finished with
122 yards rushing on 19 carries to pace the offense that struggled much of
the night. Madison Academy cut the lead to 13-7 on a long run but the Tanner
defense held them the rest of the way for the hard-fought victory at home.

Red Bay

0

0

0

0

0

Tanner

14

7

0

13

34

Fred Rich rushed for 150
yards on 15 carries to lead Tanner to a 34-0 shutout of Red Bay in week two.
Hayden Stephens added 96 yards on 19 carries as the Rattlers rolled up 301
yards rushing on 43 attempts. Rich scored twice in the opening period and
Stephens added a 15-yards touchdown in the second quarter as the Rattlers
took a 21-0 halftime lead.

Tanner

33

19

7

8

67

Cherokee

0

0

0

7

7

The defense
scored three touchdowns on fumble returns as Tanner demolished Cherokee 67-7
in week three of the season. Stephens rushed for 101 yards and scored once
to pace the offense. The Rattlers scored 33 first quarter points and led
52-0 by halftime. Fred Rich scored on runs of 65 and 16 yards and returned
one of the fumbles 29 yards for another score.

Blake Whitt caught a
61-yard scoring pass from quarterback Jonathan Fletcher in the second half
as the offense continued to roll.

Lexington

0

0

0

7

7

Tanner

7

21

14

7

49

Lexington was completely
overpowered by the Rattlers in a 49-7 trouncing in week four. Hayden
Stephens rushed for 113 yards and ran for three touchdowns while Rich gained
81 yards rushing on just 10 carries. Tanner rolled up 315 yards of offense
while the defense held Lexington to just 130 total yards in the game. The
Rattlers led 28-0 by halftime and coasted to their fourth win in as many
weeks.

Tanner

14

20

14

0

48

R.A. Hubbard

0

0

0

0

0

Top-ranked Tanner
disposed of R.A. Hubbard 48-0 in week five in a convincing win. Stephens
rushed for 143 yards on 10 carries and scored on runs of 28, 33 and 60 yards
to lead the Rattlers. All his touchdowns came in the first half as Tanner
built a 34-0 lead. Jonathan Fletcher raced 65 yards for another score.

Colbert Heights

0

0

0

13

13

Tanner

28

28

13

0

69

Tanner led 28-0
after one period and 56-0 by halftime as they dominated Colbert Heights on
their way to a 69-13 win in week six. Stephens scored four touchdowns and
ran for 165 yards on only nine carries as the top-ranked Rattlers totally
overpowered Colbert Heights.

Fred Rich and Hayden
Stephens each scored three touchdowns as the Rattlers dominated Sheffield
46-20 the next week. Rich scored the game's first three touchdowns as the
Rattlers took a 27-0 lead into the intermission on the road. Greg Maclin
returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown in the second half.

Fletcher rushed for 111
yards on seven carries and Rich gained 96 yards while Stephens topped them
all with 199 yards as the ground attack was in prime form.

Hatton

0

0

0

6

6

Tanner

12

27

21

0

60

The No. 1 ranker
Rattlers once again demolished an opponent in week eight behind two
touchdowns from Stephens. Quarterback Jonathan Fletcher tossed two scoring
passes and ran for another as Tanner trashed Hatton 60-6. The Rattlers led
39-0 at the half and 60-0 by the end of the third period.

Stephens finished with
159 yards rushing on 11 carries and scored on runs of 88 and 23 yards.
Fletcher tossed TDs of 37 yards to Maclin and 49 yards to Desmond Love.
Deshaun Freeman returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown and
returned a punt 72 yards for another score. tanner rolled up 307 yards
rushing and 130 yards passing while Hatton managed only 56 yards of offense.

Tanner

20

20

20

7

67

Phil Campbell

6

0

0

6

12

The Tanner defense
scored three touchdowns as Fletcher returned an interception 55 yards for
one, Maclin raced 100 yards with an interception in the third period and
Freeman got his on a 62 yard return of another intercepted pass. In the end,
the Rattlers destroyed Phil Campbell 67-12 as Tanner closed out the regular
season with a perfect 9-0 record.

Hayden Stephens rushed
for 145 yards and scored three touchdowns on only 13 carries and Fred Rich
picked up two other scores as the offense clicked all game.

Sand Rock

0

0

0

0

0

Tanner

27

14

7

7

55

After a week off, Tanner opened
the playoffs much as they had played all season by dominating Sand Rock 55-0
at home. Stephens ran for four touchdowns and Fletcher threw two touchdowns
as the Rattlers raced out to a 41-0 halftime lead. Fletcher completed 7-of-8
passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense. Maclin caught
four passes for 105 yards and one score.

Tanner rushed for
247 yards and finished with 384 total yards. The defense limited Sand Rock
to minus-35 yards rushing while collecting their third shutout of the
season.

Walter Wellborn

0

0

0

0

0

Tanner

14

14

20

0

48

The Rattler offense
rolled up 616 yards of offense behind the running of Rich and Stephens. Fred
Rich gained 172 yards on 12 carries and scored on a 72-yard run while
Stephens ran for 182 yards on 23 carries and two more scores. The Rattlers
never punted and rushed for 432 yards on 49 carries. Blake Whitt returned a
blocked punt 35 yards for a score in the first half.

The defense held
Walter Wellborn to only 145 total yards and registered their fourth shutout
of the season.

Tanner

7

7

0

0

14

Fultondale

0

0

0

0

0

The Tanner defense
collected their third shutout of the playoffs and fifth of the season as the
Rattlers defeated Fultondale 14-0 in the quarter-finals on the road. Kyle
Shoulders scored on the Rattlers first drive from 30 yards out and Fred Rich
added a 19-yard run early in the second quarter. The defense held up the
rest of the game as the Rattlers advanced to the semi-finals. Rich gained
100 yards on 17 carries to pace the offense.

Tanner

7

14

0

14

35

Reeltown

0

7

0

7

14

The Rattlers began
the season with one goal in mind. Win a state champions. They moved one step
closer with a 35-14 win over Reeltown in the semi-finals as Hayden Stephens
scored twice on runs of 19 and 51 yards. He finished with 217 yards rushing
on 31 carries. The Rattlers led 21-7 at the half and held on for a huge win
as they earned a second straight trip to the Class 2A state championship
game.

Washington County

0

7

0

7

14

Tanner

7

0

7

14

28

The defense
picked off four Washington County passes while the offense rushed for 290
yards in a 28-14 win over the Bulldogs giving Tanner the Class 2A state
championship at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. The defense also held
Washington County twice inside the five-yard line and Jonathan Fletcher
returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown to preserve the victory.

Tanner scored first
before Washington County tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter. Fred
Rich scored a third quarter touchdown on a four-yard run for a 21-7 lead
after intercepting a pass at the one-yard line. Rich finished with 79 yards
rushing while Stephens led all runners with 139 yards on 29 carries.

In the end, Tanner
won with an all-around great performance from both sides of the football as
they collected the first title in the school's history.

Tanner finished with
the school's first ever undefeated record by going 14-0. They also broke
last year's record for points scored in a season by a single digit when they
tallied 632.

Sophomore quarterback
Jonathon Fletcher finished the year by completing 57-of-90 passes for 1,000
yards and rushed for just over 400 yards. Junior Hayden Stephens and senior
Fred Rich combined for more than 3,200 yards rushing. Greg Maclin had 29
catches for 617 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.

The ground game
rushed for 4,339 yards on 563 carries. and scored scored 66 touchdowns. The
defense dominated opponents and registered five shutouts during the season.

Fred Rich, Greg Maclin,
Hayden Stephens and Kyle Shoulders were named to the first team all-state
squad by the ASWA. Baltazar Rubio was selected to the honorable mention
team.